good day, good day.

Yesterday went well. The gardeners were already at mum's when I got there at 9:45 - three strapping young men toiling away in the sunshine. Then the telephone demonstration lady arrived - success, mum could hear me talking in a normalish voice when I phoned her on my mobile from the next room - on the old phone I had to shout and repeat myself and she would still miss lots. I went off to Argos and bought her the recommended model; I think with a bit of practice and reminding her to press the + volume button, it should be ok. I also bought her new batteries for her doorbell which had fallen silent. Then, the cherry on the cake, I took her to Whitby. All the way there she was being pessimistic about the dull, cloudy weather although she did seem to enjoy the views of the Cleveland Hills, Roseberry Topping and the plentiful yellow gorse on the moors road. Then, just as we crested the last hill, there was Whitby and the sea below us, bathed in sunshine! We had fish and chips in a prize winning restaurant, had a mooch up one of the old streets, checking out the jet jewellery shops and sat in the really warm sunshine in the old market place, mum enjoying a Tia Maria and watching the doves bobbing and pecking around the tables. It was like being on holiday abroad! I think I earned some brownie points. We'll see.

Today I sat knitting in the sunshine at one of the picnic tables at work at lunchtime. It was very relaxing, listening to the breeze rustle through the leaves on the redwoods, chestnuts, birch and sycamore and watching the mallard ducks dozing and mooching about on the grass. No squirrels today though. (Yes, I know, needles on redwoods. Feh.)